Asian Tour returns to China with four new events planned

The China Golf Association has signed a strategic agreement with golf’s Asian Tour to stage new tournaments in the country, marking the tour’s return to China for the first time since 2008.

The CGA and Asian Tour are to stage up to four new events in China this year, competitions which will be co-sanctioned by both organisations.

Today’s announcement will be viewed as a threat to the future of the OneAsia circuit, which was set up in 2009 by the CGA, PGA Tour of Australasia, the Korean Golf Association and the Korean PGA, but has suffered from a dwindling number of tournaments.

Prize purses for the new Asian Tour events are to range from $300,000 to $500,000, while the winners of the tournaments will earn exemption on the Asian Tour and earnings will go towards the Asian Tour Order of Merit and the China Tour Order of Merit.

The Asian Tour has said it will seek to stage even more events in China from 2018 onwards.

Josh Burack, the Asian Tour’s chief executive, described the agreement as a “game changer for the Asian Tour and CGA as the creation of new tournaments will greatly enhance playing opportunities for our players and for the many talented players coming up from China.”

The Asian Tour previously co-sanctioned and staged tournaments in China with the CGA from 1995 until 2008.

Wang Liwei, vice president of China Golf Association said: “We welcome the Asian Tour back to China and look forward to co-sanctioning a number of tournaments so as to develop the game of golf in China and also in Asia.”

The annual WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, which is co-sanctioned by all member international federations of PGA Tours, is the only Asian Tour-sanctioned event to presently take place in China.